PARIS (AP) — A French nun who was believed to be the world’s oldest person has died a few weeks before her 119th birthday, the spokesperson for her nursing home in southern France said Wednesday.
Lucile Randon, known as Sister André, was born in the town of Ales, southern France, on Feb. 11, 1904. She was also one of the world’s oldest survivors of COVID-19.
Spokesman David Tavella said she died at 2 a.m. on Tuesday at the Sainte-Catherine-Laboure nursing home in the town of Toulon.
The Gerontology Research Group, which validates details of people thought to be 110 or older, listed her as the oldest known person in the world after the death of Japan’s Kane Tanaka, aged 119, last year.
Sister André tested positive for the coronavirus in January 2021, shortly before her 117th birthday, but she had so few symptoms that she didn’t even realize she was infected. Her survival made headlines both in France and beyond.
In April last year, asked about her exceptional longevity through two world wars, she told French media that “working … makes you live. I worked until I was 108.”
She was known to enjoy a daily glass of wine and chocolate.
The oldest living known person in the world listed by the Gerontology Research Group is now American-born Maria Branyas Morera, who is living in Spain, and is 115.
-
Neighbors worried about location of public safety center in Whitestown
A new public safety training facility is coming to Whitestown, just west of the town’s wastewater treatment plant and near the Boone-Hendricks County line.Indianapolis Airport not showing Noem video blaming Democrats for shutdown
Indianapolis Airport Authority officials told WRTV in a statement on Tuesday, "The Indianapolis International Airport does not display content that is expressly political or partisan."Indianapolis east side school uses rewards to keep kids on track
School staff hope the small gestures — lollipops, recognition and a sense of belonging — will steer students toward brighter futures.Pacers offering new audio experience to visually impaired fans
The Indiana Pacers are giving visually impaired fans a new way to experience the excitement of game day — through immersive audio descriptions.